Foster & Motley Inc. Increases Stock Position in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM)

Foster & Motley Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) by 0.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 115,594 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,078 shares during the period. Foster & Motley Inc. owned about 0.06% of Unum Group worth $8,442,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of UNM. Ibex Wealth Advisors increased its position in Unum Group by 157.0% during the fourth quarter. Ibex Wealth Advisors now owns 130,296 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $9,515,000 after buying an additional 79,594 shares in the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its stake in shares of Unum Group by 31.1% during the fourth quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 296,960 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $21,687,000 after acquiring an additional 70,482 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV increased its position in Unum Group by 1,002.8% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 53,267 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,890,000 after purchasing an additional 48,437 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in Unum Group by 44.1% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 16,495 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,205,000 after purchasing an additional 5,047 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PFG Investments LLC purchased a new position in Unum Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $216,000. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNM has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $91.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Unum Group from $74.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Truist Financial raised their price target on Unum Group from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $79.00 price objective (up from $74.00) on shares of Unum Group in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Unum Group from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $76.75.

Unum Group Stock Performance

NYSE:UNM opened at $77.41 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $74.19 and its 200 day simple moving average is $64.27. The company has a current ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Unum Group has a twelve month low of $46.39 and a twelve month high of $77.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.38, a PEG ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.81.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.03. Unum Group had a return on equity of 15.21% and a net margin of 13.76%. The company had revenue of $3.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.26 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.94 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Unum Group will post 8.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Unum Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th will be given a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.17%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 24th. Unum Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.18%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Christopher W. Pyne sold 3,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.02, for a total value of $227,565.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 50,762 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,554,355.24. The trade was a 6.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Timothy Gerald Arnold sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.92, for a total value of $769,200.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 54,827 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,217,292.84. This trade represents a 15.43 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 102,914 shares of company stock worth $7,677,945 in the last 90 days. 0.93% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Unum Group Company Profile

Unum Group, together with its subsidiaries, provides financial protection benefit solutions primarily in the United States, the United Kingdom, Poland, and internationally. It operates through Unum US, Unum International, Colonial Life, and Closed Block segment. The company offers group long-term and short-term disability, group life, and accidental death and dismemberment products; supplemental and voluntary products, such as individual disability, voluntary benefits, and dental and vision products; and accident, sickness, disability, life, and cancer and critical illness products.